The Fall of Troy
The Fall of Troy was an American rock trio from Mukilteo, Washington. The trio consisted of Thomas Erak (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Andrew Forsman (drums, percussion) and Frank Ene (bass, backing vocals) The trio was characterized by a technical, intricate style, known for Erak's sporadic guitar riffs and their alternation between clean vocals and harsh screams. Over the course of their career of about eight years, the group has released four full-length albums, one EP, and one single. Prior to The Fall of Troy's formation, when each member was about 17 years old, all three founding members were in another group named The 30 Years War, who released two EPs. History The 30 Years War (2002) In his late freshman year of high school, Erak provided vocals and guitar for the band Tribune. The band recorded one EP but disbanded by mid-2002. Munro and Erak then started a four-piece hardcore band under the name The 30 Years War. The band was rounded out by Andrew Forsman, who played drums. The group had originally intended to have a much more mellow sound than the sound that developed. Erak stayed on guitar and vocals, Munro moved to second guitar, and bass and drums were filled by Ward and Forsman respectively. During the life of The 30 Years War, two EPs were independently released, entitled Martyrs Among the Casualties and Live at the Paradox. Just as The 30 Years War were about to go into the studio to record again, Munro quit, stating that school commitments rendered him unable to continue playing with the band. After Munro left, the band changed its name to The Fall of Troy using the same method with which they had chosen their previous name: opening a history textbook and pointing at a random location until they found a selection they liked. Self-titled debut album (2003–2004) In May 2003 the trio entered The Hall of Justice in Seattle, Washington with producer Joel M. Brown to record their first full length. They were all about 17 and a half years of age, and the album was recorded in one take over their spring break in one week. The album was released on November 4, 2003 on Lujo Records, and reissued on August 22, 2006 by the band's current label, Equal Vision Records. The trio also recorded their independently released the Ghostship EP shortly after the release of the self-titled, in 2004. Early versions of the demos included keyboards by Jesse Erickson of Mukilteo, WA and had no vocals. The demos on the Ghostship EP; Part I, II, IV, and V, showcase the Phantom on the Horizon concept album, while "Macaulay McCulkin" is on 2005's Doppelgänger. ''Doppelgänger'' (2005–2006) The band was invited to submit a new demo for Equal Vision, which saw the band hooking up with Ghostship producers Gordon Edward Greenwood III and Dustin Kochel once again. The resulting two tracks were "Tom Waits" and "Laces Out, Dan." Equal Vision used these tracks as promos for the yet to be recorded album. In March 2005 the band entered the studio to record their second album, titled Doppelgänger. It was released on August 16, 2005 in Compact Disc and vinyl format, which also had alternate artwork. The trio started touring extensively from the release of Doppelgänger through the first quarter of 2006. "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." was released as the only single from the album, and has led to some recent mainstream success. The song was featured in Saint's Row for Xbox 360 and in MLB 2K6 for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP and Xbox 360. The song is also featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. ''Manipulator'' (2006–2007) In mid-December 2006, the band entered the studio with producer Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Botch, Pearl Jam, Mastodon) to begin work on their third full-length album Manipulator. The album achieved 4 out of 5 K's in Kerrang! magazine and 7 out of 10 from Metal Hammer magazine. The album features Nouela Johnston of the Seattle band People Eating People contributing vocal and keyboard parts to many songs. The album includes the previously written, "Seattlantis," and mostly all new material, including songs such as, "Problem!?," "Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them," and a song with the palindromic title, "A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama." Before its release date the band stated that the first single off of Manipulator would be "Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them," which was also the first song released to the public on the band's MySpace. The music video for this song was released August 8, 2007 , also on the band's MySpace. The last single, "Ex-Creations," live video was released on January 16, 2008 on MySpace as well. In late November 2007, during their tour with Coheed and Cambria, Timothy took a break from the band. It was later confirmed by the band that he had left the band due to stress. He was replaced by Frank Ene of the band ...Of Stalwart Fads. The trio went on tour spring 2008 with Foxy Shazam, The Dear Hunter and Tera Melos. ''Phantom on the Horizon'' (2008) On November 28, 2008, Phantom on the Horizon was released. The EP features all five Ghostship parts, with interludes. Erak has described the album as "one song separated by tracks." The album was played in its entirety on their West Coast and East Coast tours, followed by some "deep cuts" from the group's catalogue each night of the tour. Only 3,000 copies have been pressed (despite the misprint reverse side of the Phantom on the Horizon CD casing numbering the CD's out of a total of 3,300) and are being sold online and at shows. After the 1500 physical copies held aside for online ordering sold out on December 1, an MP3 version of the album became available online.Tate, Jason. "The Fall Of Troy Sell Out" AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved on December 1, 2008. A vinyl edition followed in 2009, with 1,000 clear copies sold through Hot Topic stores and 1,000 orange copies sold directly from the band's website.The Fall of Troy "Phantom On The Horizon" Vinyl Out Today. Retrieved on February 14, 2010. ''In the Unlikely Event'' and break up (2009–2010) On February 26, 2009, The Fall of Troy confirmed on their website and their MySpace profile that they were entering the studio that week with producer Terry Date to record the follow-up to Manipulator, which will include "a dozen or so songs" and should be in stores this summer."The Fall of Troy Enters the Studio with Terry Date" MySpace.com Blogs. Retrieved on February 28, 2009. It was revealed on April 30, 2009 that Rody Walker, lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, Protest The Hero, would make a guest appearance on the record.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53nCPHpREls Retrieved on April 30, 2009. In the Unlikely Event, their fourth studio album, was released on October 6, 2009. On February 26, 2010, The Fall of Troy announced that they would disband after completing a spring US tour.The Fall of Troy Calls it Quits The trio did one of their final interviews with Mario Trevizo of Lexington Music Press.Interview - Music Press Thomas Erak is currently in the new band Just Like Vinyl. Andrew Forsman replaced Erak as drummer of the local band The Monday Mornings in 2010. Tim Ward relocated to Idaho following his removal from The Fall of Troy and has been recording and releasing demos online under the monikers Dorothey Valens and Stranger Danger. Band members ;Final lineup * Frank Ene – bass, backing vocals (2007-2010) * Thomas Erak – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming (2002–2010) * Andrew Forsman – drums (2002–2010) ;Former members * Tim Ward – bass,vocals (2002–2007) Discography Studio albums Extended plays Videography * "Tom Waits (Demo Version)" (Equal Vision, March 11, 2005) * "Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man's Bones" (Equal Vision, October 21, 2005) *"F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." (Equal Vision, May 26, 2006)The Fall of Troy Media *"Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them" (Equal Vision, August 8, 2007) *"Ex-Creations" (Equal Vision, January 16, 2008) References External links *Official website Category:Bands LTJ have played with Category:Links to Wikipedia